This invention relates generally to the authentication of art objects and more specifically to the use of a pair of specially fabricated sealed radioactive sources that is uniquely assigned to a particular art object for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of said art object at a later date.
The identification of any particular art object relies upon the comparison between some specific features unique to the art object in question and a record of these same features that has been previously recorded and stored in some means.
In the field of the visual arts, the identification of an original art object, such as a painting or a sculpture, has become increasingly difficult, particularly after several years from its creation, and moreover, if the art object has not remained under reliable surveillance at all times.
Such difficulties are caused by the availability of new technologies that allow the creation of copies or reproductions of original art objects in very accurate detail. These technologies, in the hands of unscrupulous individuals have led to numerous cases of fraud in recent history.
Particularly in the field of painting, with the availability of the current technologies, the forging of signatures, the artificial aging of canvas and the reproduction of color pigments and brush strokes, are not serious obstacles to art forgery.
The most common and expeditious method currently used by the art experts to identify art objects is based on photographic techniques. However, the long term accuracy of such method may be impaired by alterations that could occur in the photographic records and/or in the original art object due to adverse storage conditions particularly if the art object in question had disappeared for an extended period of time.